At the annual fall event in September, Apple unveiled the new iPhone 14 series with four variants. The company did not launch the successor to the 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini, but instead introduced the iPhone 14 Plus, a first of its kind in the iPhone iterations.
Apple iPhone 14 Plus made its way to stores in India and around the world in the first week of October. It was touted to offer the best battery life among its peers, and as mentioned in the headline, the new iPhone has aced it. Here are my thoughts on how it fared in other aspects that consumers would like to know before making an informed decision to buy this device.
Design, build quality and display
The iPhone 14 Plus has bigger dimensions and larger camera modules than the predecessor, but the overall design language remains the same.
It sports a familiar flat-edge structure with a flushed display on top and curved corners. Like in the regular iPhone 14, the rail around the edge of the Plus variant's screen is made of aerospace-grade aluminium.
On the top, the super retina display is protected by Ceramic Shield, which is touted to be the sturdiest screen cover for any mobile in the industry. On the back too, the glass is said to be stronger than any rival brands.
Also, some of the key components of the iPhone 14 series are made from recycled materials or responsibly sourced minerals. The rare earth elements used in all magnets, including those used in MagSafe, are said to be 100 per cent recycled.
And, tungsten in the Taptic Engine, tin in the solder of multiple printed circuit boards, gold in the plating of multiple printed circuit boards and in the wire of all cameras are said to be 100 per cent repurposed.
Our review model is a purple variant. It has a light colour tone with the trademark Apple logo and a camera module in a shiny chrome finish on the back. And, around the edges, the rails are made of aluminium with a matte finish, which does a good job of resisting sweaty smudges.
Even the glass cover on the shell though smooth and glossy repels the dust and fingerprints to a good extent. Another good thing is that it is not fused to the back panel. There are two reasons for it. With the separation between the glass and rear panel, there is scope for better heat dissipation during heavy-duty tasks such as 4K video recording or playing graphics-rich games.
Also, during accidental drops, the customer has to replace just the glass for a lesser service charge. In earlier models, the glass and the back panel were fused and had to be replaced fully for a hefty price.
And, the new iPhone 14 Plus comes with an IP68 rating, meaning it is water resistant to a depth of six metres (approx. 16.9 feet) for up to 30 minutes. But, I still advise prospective buyers to get a cover case. Though it may resist scratches and daily wear and tear. But, you never know, one slip of the hand, the phone can suffer physical damage from accidental fall on a rough surface. Apple offers clear case, opaque silicone and leather-based cases.
Besides the purple option, Apple also offers the iPhone 14 Plus in four other colours--blue, midnight black, starlight and PRODUCT(RED).
On the front, it flaunts a massive 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR (2778x1284p) OLED display, 60Hz refresh rate, and boasts True Tone technology. And, it comes with a pixel density of 458 ppi (pixels per inch).
The screen is really great and can support up to 1,200 nits peak brightness, good enough to view content outdoors without any pressing issues. I never had to try hard squinting my eyes to read messages. The images and videos on the screen come out with vibrant and near-natural colours.
And, like the two (iPhone 14 and 14 Pro Max) I have already tested, the Face ID on the iPhone 14 Plus too, performed neatly as advertised. It continues to be the gold standard for a facial biometric security system for mobiles in the industry. It worked flawlessly without any issues in all light conditions and even in pitch darkness.
Also, it now takes three face sample photos for more accuracy. It particularly comes in handy when the user has spectacles and a face mask on. Yes, I still do wear a face mask in public places.
Performance
Like the smaller 6.1-inch sibling, the iPhone 14 Plus too comes with a 2021-series A15 Bionic chipset. It should be noted that the Apple silicon features 6‑core CPU, 5-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, which we see in the iPhone 13 Pro series.
Yes, it is barely an upgrade. But, the device works as smoothly as any premium phone in the market. It works and responds faster to inputs. Apple iPhone 14 Plus supports all popular graphics-rich AR games and delivers a satisfying great gaming experience.
And, the icing on the cake for the iPhone 14 Plus is the battery life. It is the best period. With full control over hardware and software, Apple continues to do great with efficient power distribution to apps active and those working in the background on the iPhone.
I had to go really extreme to fully drain the device. The new iPhone consistently used to give me two full days of battery life with an average of six and a half plus hours of Screen-on-Time(SoT).
I usually watch travel and food vlogs on Youtube, read news and scroll through social media platforms during the long commute between home and the office. And, in work hours, I usually answer calls and reply to messages on WhatsApp. With such usage, the iPhone 14 Plus was able to consistently offer two days of battery life.
As you can see the screengrabs of the battery life graph with SoT details, I have tried my best to test the iPhone 14 Plus to the extreme and it excels. It has the best battery life among the current crop of premium phones and is even better than the more expensive iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Big two additions coming to the iPhone 14 series are-- Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection.
The new Apple iPhone houses custom-made components deeply integrated with software to allow antennas to directly establish a connection with a satellite, enabling messaging with emergency services when outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.
But, the SOS service will be available only to Apple customers in the US and Canada in November, and the service will be free for two years. There is no official word when it will be expanded to international markets.
On the other hand, crash detection is a potential life-saving feature. Apple has incorporated a new generation dual-core accelerometer (which can detect G-force measurements of up to 256Gs) in the iPhone 14 Plus and this works with a new high dynamic gyroscope, a barometer (to detect cabin pressure changes within the car), the GPS for additional input for speed changes, and the microphone (to recognize loud noises typified by severe car crashes).
Besides advanced hardware components, Apple has developed motion algorithms based on million-plus hours of real-world driving and crash record data to provide even better accuracy.
If the iPhone 14 Plus detects a car crash, it will trigger a warning on the screen and if the owner is wearing Apple Watch, an emergency warning interface appears with a message -- 'It looks like you've been in a crash, the owner just has to slide the SOS call or cancel the false alarm. If there is no response from the owner, the iPhone will automatically place a call to the pre-listed emergency contacts for help.
I didn't really test the effectiveness of this particular feature, but I will take the company's words for now, given how reliable Apple Watches' has been to detect heart-related ailments and saving hundreds of lives over the last several years.
However, there are unintended situations that may trigger this life-saving feature. People in the west have reported that crash detection gets activated whenever they go for a ride on roller coasters at amusement parks.
The sudden stoppage of the roller coaster cars soon after the high-speed drop from the top, falsely triggers the life-saving feature on the new iPhone.
To avoid such a situation, people have been advised to switch on the flight mode before the ride and turn it off soon after getting down from the roller coaster car. This also gives us the assurance that crash detection really works on the iPhone 14 series.
5G support
Apple iPhone 14 Plus and all other 14 series models support multiple 5G bands in India. However, Apple is conducting network validation and testing for quality and performance. The 5G support will be enabled through a software update around mid-December.
And, I am sure the iPhone 14 Plus will continue to have the best battery life even with 5G compared to other branded phones.
It also supports Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with MIMO and Bluetooth 5.3 for better wireless connectivity
Photography
Like the regular iPhone 14, the iPhone 14 Plus features improved-dual 12MP cameras— wide-angle (f/1.5) + ultra-wide-angle sensor (f/2.4) with 2X optical zoom out, 5X digital zoom, support sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, True Tone flash, photonics engine to deliver better low-light imaging, deep fusion, smart HDR 4 for photos, night mode, photographic styles, cinematic mode, up to 4K video recording (at 24 fps: frames per second, 25fps, 30fps or 60fps) and there is action mode, Slow-motion video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps.
The new iPhone managed to snap great photos in all light conditions. Even normal photo mode pictures contain so many details and the colours are so near-natural. There is less saturation.
But, if you want the pictures to be more punchy and have subjects with warmer dark colours. You can try photography styles in the native camera app. It offers options such as cool, warm, vibrant, rich contrast and standard.
As far as the portrait mode is concerned, it too excels in its job. I had a cranky subject to test this feature. Our neighbour's baby cow was a little moody on the day and constantly moved a lot. And, yet once the focus was locked, the iPhone 14 Plus was able to capture fantastic pictures with face focused and the background beautifully blurred. The hairs on the face were wonderfully captured around the head, ears and the eyes too came off really well.
For the uninitiated, Portrait Lighting on the iPhone 14 Plus offers six effects-- Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, and High‑Key Mono.
Apple iPhone 14 Plus also comes with a photonic engine software feature to deliver better low-light imaging. It really lived up to the hype as well.
The red-coloured light from the vehicles' tail lamps on the road with shadows created by the grilles in the median, come off as art-like photos by the iPhone 14 Plus.
The only two things you miss in the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are the optical zoom and macro mode. This is done to differentiate the regular iPhone from the iPhone 14 Pro series.
Having said that, the close-up shots taken with iPhone 14 Plus are decent and capture a good amount of details.
Check out the sample pictures, I am more than satisfied with the iPhone 14/14 Plus and they will save a lot of money too.
On the front, it features 12MP TrueDepth camera (f/1.9) on the front with Retina Flash, and Retina Flash, and supports most of the features including portrait mode mentioned for the dual primary cameras.
It takes really good selfies worthy to be used for DP (display picture) on messenger apps and social media platforms. Also, the video calling experience on the iPhone 14 series continues to be the best among peers, provided, you have a steady internet connection.
Also, the iPhone 14 Plus supports cinematic mode, which offers dramatic visual effects while shooting a video.
Even after the recording of the video, the owner can change the focus of the subjects. And, with Action mode, you can walk or run, the new iPhone will still be able to deliver stable video. The quality is a notch above the peers in the market.
Final thoughts
In terms of the design and internal hardware, the Apple iPhone 14 Plus is a moderate upgrade over the iPhone 13 series.
However, the one good thing about the new big iPhone, is that it has the best battery life among all the premium devices I have reviewed this year so far.
I am happy that Apple has let go off the Mini variant for the Plus. The latter's battery life offers great value for people who are considering trade-in their old phone for a new one.
Yes, the compact form factor makes the device easy to hold and operate single-handedly with ease, but given how digitally savvy the users are now, despite the powerful and faster silicon, the mini iPhone won't be able to last till dinner time.
Most people will know the true potential of the iPhone 14 Plus, when it gets 5G support. Most phones with 5G cellular connection, will have a hard time lasting through the day.
And, the new SoS emergency service via satellite and crash detection features are really good perks of owning the iPhone 14 Plus.
Who should buy iPhone 14 Plus?
I reiterate what I said in the iPhone 14 review, people with iPhone 13 or 11 should continue with their devices for at least a year or so. You won't be missing any unique features as such.
However, those with iPhone mini models can try exchange deals to get a big discount on iPhone 14 Plus either on Apple's official online store or prominent e-commerce channels. You will definitely find value in the purchase.
And, those on the other side of the great wall of the iOS ecosystem. Yes, you with the Android phone having thoughts of switching sides, can start with iPhone 13 or iPhone 14 or with iPhone 14 Plus. If you find the iPhone 12 too, it is a good option too.
If you want the best and latest features, you can go for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which by the way starts at Rs 1,39,900.
Apple is offering the iPhone 14 Plus in three storage options --- 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB— for Rs 89,900, Rs 99,900, and Rs 1,19,900, respectively.
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